Abstract
As in many national settings, students in Barbados compete for seats at selective secondary schools. Using rich administrative and survey data, we document that (a) there is considerable agreement among parents and students regarding which are the most desirable schools, and (b) the implied preference ranking of schools have been very stable over time. Next, using a regression discontinuity design, we estimate the causal effects of being admitted to a more-preferred (i.e. more selective) school on a wide range of academic, social, labor market and health outcomes. While attending a selective school is associated with large improvements in peer quality and other measured school inputs, it is not associated with improved test score performance. However, attending a selective school is associated with increased educational attainment, higher occupational status, and higher wages. These effects, however, are concentrated among females and, consistent with this, we find a reduced likelihood of teen pregnancy for females. We also find higher reliance of school social networks in the labor market and improvements in health status for both males and females- highlighting the non-academic and social benefits to schools. Our evidence suggests that parents value schools that improve the long-run outcomes of their children in ways that test scores simply do not measure. (JEL I20, J0).